Keep Yourself and Others Healthy

mask

Wear a mask

wash hands

Wash your hands

6 feet apart

Stay 6 feet apart

home

Stay home if you are sick

Before Coming to School

Before coming to school, do the below TWO things:

1. Use your thermometer:

Place under tongue, close mouth, and wait 1 minute to hear beep.

2. Complete the health screening by clicking here:

health-screening

or scan  the QR CODE  below

QR-Code-HealthQuestionnaire 

 

Health Screenings must be shown to school staff before students will be admitted.

The DOE has partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the NYC Test & Trace
Corps to arrange for testing of NYC DOE students and staff for COVID-19 infection.

Testing partners will test a randomly selected group of staff and students in schools.

Parents must give consent in order for their child to be tested. Click below to download the form.

 COVID Testing Consent Form 

Return to School 2020

DOE Back to School Family Guide

 

PS 166 Town Hall

Click here  for the 9-15-20 Town Hall Presentation

Learning Preference Form

Click here to request Fully Remote Learning

If you choose fully remote, the next chance to change to Blended Learning will be in November

Return to School 2020

Read the Chancellor's update letters for families below:

DOE Return to School Covid School Health Policy

Daily COVID Case Map

This map shows all known cases of COVID-19 at New York City public schools. It is updated Sunday through Friday at 5:30 PM. This information was compiled by the DOE COVID Response Situation Room—a multi-agency partnership between the Department of Education, Department of Health and Mental Health, and the Test & Trace Corps—to facilitate a rapid response to positive COVID-19 cases in public schools.

COVID Alert NY

This is a voluntary, anonymous, exposure-notification smartphone app. You will get an alert if you are in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. You can download the free app to your smartphone to receive an alert if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

 

Click below for the 2020 NYC DOE School Calendar

2020-21-school-calendar

 

Visit the DOE Return to School webpage regularly for the latest updates.

2020-2021 School Supply Lists

            

   stethoscope

Health + Safety

Covid Testing: The administration encourages students to get tested for Covid before the first day of in-person classes. Here is a map to find local testing centers near you and at-home testing options.  

Face Shields: Students will only remove their masks during lunch in the classroom. The administration has requested that parents send in their children with face shields to wear during lunch to help mitigate the spread of germs. Here is a type of mask that should fit children’s heads

Health Forms / Flu Shot: Per Nurse Hamilton, new Medication Administration Forms need to be submitted.  Also, she reminds parents and children to get a flu shot now.  This is highly important, especially this year, as getting FLU and COVID at the same time can be extremely dangerous. 

Ventilation Reports: Ventilation reports for PS 166 can be found here. A room requires at least one functioning method of ventilation to be cleared for occupancy. This could be a window that opens, a type of mechanical ventilation (exhaust fan, supply fan, unit ventilator) or a combination of both. 

All New Yorkers should continue to practice general flu prevention measures including:

  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or sleeve
  • Wash your hands regularly
  • Avoid touching your face
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick
  • Get your flu shot – it’s never too late
  • Stay home if you’re feeling sick. Call your doctor and let them know your symptoms and travel history.

 

Please see the NYC Health Department’s Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions for more information, or visit nyc.gov/health(Open external link) at any time for important updates. 

  

   Group of People 

Volunteers Needed

Roles needed:

  • Corporate Sponsorship Chair: Investigate and explore opportunities on donation programs from local and national business, and encourage parent participation.
  • Spiritwear Co-Chairs: Coordinating ordering and selling PS 166 t-shirts and gear 
  • Pie-sale Chair: Thanksgiving Pie sales and community food bank donations
  • 2020 Auction Sales Team: Help coordinating sales of Auction items
  • Book Fair Chair: Online book fair with Books of Wonder.
  • Community events: Online game nights, movie nights, fitness activities, or wellness lectures for families to engage in across grades and for the whole school. 

If you have an idea or would like to help, please email me directly at volunteers@ps166pta.org or fill out our survey.

 Group of People

Community Updates

Harlem Restaurant Week
Support our local businesses! Harlem Restaurant Week runs now through next Saturday, 10/31. 

DoE School safety and Health: Office Hours with Dr. Jay Varma
10/28, 6:30pm

Whether you have questions about COVID-19 testing in schools, ventilation, PPE and cleaning, or other heath and safety issues, dial 1-800-280-9461 on Tuesday, October 27 to ask and listen.

UFT Virtual Citywide Parent and Family Conference
Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Parents, guardians and students are invited to the annual UFT parent and family conference. This year's event will be citywide and held entirely online. There  will be more than 30 workshops to choose from, a teen conference and child's programming. 

Registration is required.  

Parents as Learning Heroes: Tips and Resources for a Different Kind of School Year
November 3, 9:30 am – 10:30 am

Be a Learning Hero organization helps inform and equip parents to best support their children's educational and developmental success. They are hosting an interactive workshop to give parents simple ideas and free resources to support learning and life skills at home.  They will also help parents and guardians get ready for parent-teacher conferences as partnering with teachers has never been more important. 
Registration is required https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cb0nrlzzSqeKmpgdujLMmQ

Early Voting:
In-person early voting started this weekend Use findmypollsite.vote.nyc to identify your early voting site and its hours (or even your Election Day site-- they’re likely two different locations!). You can even preview the ballot for your location at findmypollsite.vote.nyc to reduce the amount of time you’ll spend in a polling place.  

Hours at early sites vary, as follows:

  • Tuesday, 10/27: 12 pm - 8 pm 
  • Wednesday, 10/28: 12 pm - 8 pm
  • Thursday, 10/29: 10 am - 6 pm 
  • Friday, 10/30: 7 am - 3 pm 
  • Saturday, 10/31: 10 am - 4 pm
  • Sunday, 11/1: 10 am - 4 pm

FLAG Award for Teacher Excellence Nominations Open Now
The FLAG Award recognizes and celebrates extraordinary public-school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. One grand-prize winner from each of NYC’s five boroughs will receive a $25,000 cash prize and finalists will each receive $10,000. The winning teachers’ schools will each receive $10,000 and each finalist’s school will receive $2,000 for arts-based initiatives designed by the award recipient. Nominate a teacher now!


UFT Virtual Citywide Parent and Family Conference
Date: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020
Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Parents, guardians and students are invited to the annual UFT parent and family conference. This year's event will be citywide and held entirely online. There  will be more than 30 workshops to choose from, a teen conference and child's programming. 
Registration is required.  

Announcements

  • featured post

    Parent Teacher Conferences, Thursday, November 5th

    Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday, November 5th. It will be an early dismissal day for students with dismissal at 10:50 (3-5) and 11:00 (K-2).
    Conferences will be held remotely. More information will be shared soon about signing up for your conference. 

    PS 166

  • Blended Learning Opt-In

    The opt-in window has been postponed and will now be open from November 2nd - 15th. Families who previously chose remote-only learning will be able to opt into Blended Learning for the remainder of this school year using the Learning Preference Survey during the above window. We will update families on all details as they are confirmed. 

    Click here to learn more about choosing your child's learning preference.

    PS 166

  • Blended Schedules for October- November

    10/26 to 10/30 WEEK 1 AAABB

    11/2- 11/6 WEEK 2 ARBBB (11/3 all students remote)

    11/9- 11/13 WEEK 1 AA (off) BB (Wednesday Off)

    11/16 - 11/20 WEEK 2 AABBB

    11/23 - 11/26 WEEK 1 AAA (Thursday and Friday off)

    PS 166

  • Middle School

    Be sure to visit the Middle School Page for updates. 

    PS 166

  • Tech Information

    Families who need technical support for their student's DOE iPad now have the option of contacting AppleCare Support for the NYCDOE. Call 1-800-919-2775, and when prompted, enter the PIN 692363. (Only call AppleCare to ask about setting up your iPad once you've received the device; don't call to check on the status of a device request.) Families whose iPads are not working can also call the DOE's Help Desk at 718-935-5100 or submit a ticket online. 

    DOE Tech Support
    https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/technical-tools-and-support/technical-support-for-families
    Free or Low-Cost Internet Options

    https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/technical-tools-and-support/free-and-low-cost-internet-options

    To request a device from the DOE
    https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices

    To switch to All-Remote Learning
    https://www.nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference

    PS 166

  • Attendance

    Please be advised that students learning remotely, whether All-Remote or on their Blended -Remote days, are expected to attend school during regular school hours. School hours for  K-2 are 8:30-2:00 and for  3-5 are 8:20 - 1:50.

    Students are not expected to be online the entire time but need to attend the zoom lessons whenever the teacher schedules them and work independently in between lessons.

    Attendance will be taken at every lesson. Students who miss too many lessons are missing valuable instruction and will see it reflected in their grades.

    PS 166

  • Newsletter/Announcement Subscription

    To get the weekly newsletters from Deborah Markewich,  subscribe here.   
                 
    If you are no longer a PS 166 parent, please unsubscribe from this list.

    PS 166

  • Learn More About Local Events

    Want to learn more about local events? Visit the District 3 website: 
    URL:  https://sites.google.com/site/nycdistrict3/    

    PS 166
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Calendar

  • Cohort A

    PS 166

  • Cohort B

    PS 166

  • Cohort B

    PS 166

  • Cohort A

    PS 166

  • Election Day All -Students learn Remotely

    PS 166
View Monthly Calendar

PTA Announcements

  • Annual Pie Sale

    The Thanksgiving Pie Sale will start next week and include a selection of our top sellers and an opportunity to donate to our teachers and community kitchens. Details to follow!

    PTA

  • Volunteers Needed

    Have an idea for a fundraiser or community event? Want to lend a hand to our school? Please email Annalisa Petersen or fill out our survey.

    PTA

  • Upcoming Meetings

    • Thursday, October 29, 8:30 pm:  PTA Budget Vote (Register here)
    • Tuesday, November 3: Election Day, all students work remotely
    • Thursday, November 5: Early Dismissal for Parent Teacher Conferences
    • Tuesday, November 10: Time TBD: Green Committee Meeting
    • Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day, Schools Closed 
    • Thursday,  November 19, Time TBD: PTA Meeting
    • Thursday- Friday, November 26-27: Thanksgiving Recess, Schools Closed
    PTA

  • Box Tops for Education

    The Box Tops for Education program turns products you buy into $0.10 per Box Top for the school.

    Even as the program shifts to digital submission (uploading store receipts), many products still have physical Box Tops that require clipping.

    If you've been stashing away Box Tops, now's the time to unload them -- the next wave of expiring Box Tops become void on 11/1/2020.

    You may send physical Box Tops in directly. Find out how here.

    Or, you can bring your Box Tops to school, and we can send them in. Please leave them in a sealed envelope at the front desk no later than Monday, October 26th.

    More info on the program -- including a list of eligible products and how to download the app for future digital donations! -- can be found here.

    Contact Josh Weinberger with any questions.

    PTA

  • Highlights from the October 15th PTA Meeting

    Elections were held for the PTA Executive Board and two open SLT positions.  Current Exec Board members and SLT members are listed on the website.

    You can read more updates from the meeting here.

    PTA

  • PS 166 Book Club - For Kids, By Kids

    Ask your kids to check out our new PS 166 Book Club, for PS 166 kids by PS 166 kids! For safety reasons, the file can only be edited through your child’s PS 166 google account. Whenever your child reads a book they like, they can add it to the list and recommend it to their friends. (Check out the third grade tab for some sample reviews and recommendations!) Please monitor your child’s use to make sure entries are appropriate.

    PTA

  • Grants Update

    Family giving will be more important than ever this year for PS166, as many grant opportunities were cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic and grant funds were frozen. 

    A significant source of our school’s funding comes from a multitude of grants each year; we apply for grants from city, corporate and non-profit sources.  We expect many of these opportunities to be cancelled this year.
    Read more recent PS 166 grants

    If you know of any funding opportunities available to the school or would like to become involved in grant writing, please contact Kristin Savov. 

    PTA

  • Parent Directory

    PS 166 is updating our online family directory to make sure all families receive appropriate information from the administration, PTA announcements about important community events, and any grade, cohort or class-specific info. 

    • The directory is helpful for our administration and school nurse. 
    • This directory will ONLY be used by the PTA, Administration and School Nurse.
    • Class lists will be distributed by your Class Rep containing ONLY your name and email address. (If you do not wish to share your email address with the other parents in your class, please notify your Class Rep.)
    • If you are a two-household family, please put your child's primary address in the "Household 1-Parent 1/Parent 2" section and the other address in the "Household 2-Parent 3/Parent 4" section. 
    • Use the "additional information" section to include any additional contact information that might be helpful to the administration or school nurse in an emergency, i.e. a work number or contact information for a babysitter or grandparent. 

    Click here to update or add your family information.

    PTA

  • Hold onto Last Year’s  Test Prep Books!

    Despite the unusual school year, state tests are still currently planned for grades 3-5 this spring. After last year’s state tests were cancelled, some families may still have barely-used test prep books at home.  Please hold onto these books! To reduce waste, the administration will try to pass them down to other families later in the year.

    PTA

  • Fundraising

    We are so grateful to all who contributed to the Annual Fund this year.  If you would like to donate to fill in funding gaps from the DoE, you can here.

    PTA
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Quick Links

Earth with Leaves Sprouting

Green Committee

The first Green Committee meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday 11/10 via zoom, at either 5:30 or 9 pm. Please join us to discuss ways that we can make our school more sustainable and increase our children’s environmental awareness! If you are interested in attending the meeting, please write us to specify what time, 5:30 or 9 pm, is best for you. 

Curbside Composting

While we sadly cannot currently collect food scraps from families for composting, but are happy to report that food scraps from student meals will still be collected by the city for composting. Families looking for places to take their food scraps for composting can search this list of current options: 

  • Sunday 12:00-1:00PM - 90th btw Columbus/Amsterdam- Westside Community Garden (the garden across from PS166)
  • Sunday 9:00-3:00PM - 77th btw Columbus/CPW- 79th Street Greenmarket
  • Wednesday 4:00-6:00PM - 107th & Columbus- Reclaimed Organics (NOTE: there's a suggested monetary contribution based on volume deposited)
  • Friday 8:00-12.30PM - 97th St Greenmarket (between Columbus & Amsterdam)
  • Saturday 11:00-1:00PM (weather permitting) - W138th St & 12th Ave- Jenny's Garden

Textile Recycling

While our collection of clothing / textiles for recycling is also still on hold, clothing, shoes, and linens can be taken to the Farmer’s Market at Morningside Park, 110th and Manhattan Ave, on Saturdays from 9 am til 3 pm. In addition, Wearable Collections will pick up from your residence, although there is now a fee, and a large minimum amount: https://www.wearablecollections.com/homepickups 

Another option is Pick Up Please: https://pickupplease.org/

 

Be sure to check out the Green Committee Home Page for more info.

 Green Committee Home Page 

 

 Two Kids 

Inclusion Committee

Online Parent Support Group

Include NYC offers an online parent support group where parents or guardians can share their experiences, struggles, and successes as parents of children with disabilities. Discussion topics include::

  • Self-care and balance
  • Coping with stress and mental health issues
  • Managing family dynamics
  • Helping your child make friends
  • Getting what your child needs at school
  • Supporting independence
  • Teaching self-advocacy  
  • Humor as a coping mechanism
  • Managing guilt and “what-if”s

This is an online webinar. To register, please visit here. 

Food Allergy Support - Return to School

If you are a parent or a guardian of a child with food allergies, you can explore some useful recommendations from the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) group regarding return to school:

PS166 Family Guide to 504 Accommodations

Please visit the 504 Accommodations Page for information on whether your child is eligible to receive health services or accommodations in school under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

For additional information related to 504 accommodations, you can review the Department of Education’s Student and Family Guide here. 

Become a Certified Parent Member of the IEP Team!  

The Parent Member is a member of the IEP team that supports a parent of a child with a disability at their IEP meeting. In this state-approved FREE training, learn about procedures and regulations, as well as how to promote the parent's understanding and participation. For more information, please visit here.

Parent IEP Member Training

Tuesday, Oct 20, 2020  

Presented in two parts: 9-11 AM  & 1-3 PM) - Must attend both sessions for certification

Registration Required 



We are looking for new Inclusion Committee Co-Chairs. Please email the VP Volunteers if you are interested.

Family

 NYC Accounts

Each student in a DOE school is assigned a NYC Schools Account, which provides parents with a new way of accessing key information about their child’s progress. With your NYC Schools account, you will be able to view your child's information (grades, test scores and attendance) in one of ten languages on a computer, phone or tablet.

For 4th and 5th grade students, the NYC Account is the only way for you to see your child's 3rd or 4th grade state test results.

In order to set up your account, you will need your child's student ID number and a Creation Code.Student IDs are 9 digit numbers beginning with the number 2 and can be found on your child's report card. Letters will be sent home with the Creation Codes over the next week. (Fourth grade parents received them earlier so they could access last year's test scores.) Letters are only sent to parents who have not yet set up an account.

Kindergarten parents who do not yet know their child's ID can ask their child's teacher or contact the main office after receiving their letters.

If you have more than one child attending a NYC public school, you will receive one letter containing an account creation code for each child. You will only need to enter the student ID and Account Creation Code for one of your children. Once you create an account, you can add your remaining children by entering their student IDs and Account Creation Codes on the “Manage My Account” page. Each Account Creation Code is unique to you and your child and should not be shared with others. 

Family Giving logo

Family Giving

If you have already made your contribution to Family Giving, thank you for your support! Family Giving makes up 80% of the PTA budget, which helps to provide our kids with an enhanced education - including classroom assistants, enhanced curriculum and staff development, the library, classroom residencies, science and technology, test prep, classroom supplies, music/dance/arts and green/wellness programs and garden.
 
If you haven’t had a chance to donate to Family Giving yet and would like to, please note that it is not too late to show your support!! And please don’t forget to check if your company will match your donation. You can provide a one time gift or break up your donation into monthly installments. If your family is not able to give the suggested amount, please donate any amount you can because every dollar counts. Visit Family Giving to make your gift today. Thank you.

  Donate Today 

Trying to contact a teacher or administrator? Click here for the school directory.

School Directory